This video is available as a NAESPA membership benefit or for a limited time as a conference attendee.
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Better Together: Enhancing Success Through Empowered Family & Community Collaboration
Does your school or district truly make every family feel seen, heard, and valued? Are you looking for ways to establish true collaborative partnerships with families and communities through an asset-based approach? Discover how one National ESEA Distinguished School transformed family engagement by embracing it as a shared responsibility—empowering families as co-creators and advocates in their child’s education. Learn how this shift led to measurable improvements in attendance, engagement, and belonging. Walk away with practical tools, strategies, and inspiration to build reciprocal community partnerships that recognize and elevate the unique strengths every family brings.
This talk was presented at:
2026 National ESEA Conference
February 2026
in
Denver, CO
For more information:
https://www.betheleaderyoudeserve.com/
Speakers
Lara Donnelly
Dr. Lara Donnelly is a veteran teacher and school counselor of 13 years who helped support a school culture that not only attracted, but retained high quality staff. Dr. Donnelly was recognized at the JCPS Outstanding Elementary School Counselor of the Year in 2018 and has been featured in podcasts, news articles, and televised interviews for her expertise in supporting mental health. Dr. Donnelly is now an education consultant, speaker, and author supporting schools and administrators with burnout, family engagement, and multilingual learners mental health and trauma.
Jill Handley
Dr. Handley is a veteran educator with almost 30 years of experience in the field. She was an award-winning principal for 16 years and created a school culture that attracted and retained highly effective teachers. In 2017 Handley was named Hilliard Lyons Principal of the Year. She led Kenwood to have one of the highest MAP growth achievements of Title I schools in her district across subgroups, be selected as a Bright Spot School by the Prichard Committee, be selected as a State and National School of Character, be recognized as a Success Story School by Solution Tree, a National ESEA Distinguished School and the first school in her state to certify as a Family Friendly School. In addition, Dr. Handley’s research focused on sense of belonging for diverse families. In her current role of Assistant Superintendent of Multilingual Learners in a district of almost 100,000 students (1 in 4 is a multilingual learner), she works to create districtwide systems that remove barriers for immigrant and refugee families and acts a liaison between the school district and the community to bridge gaps of trust and solidarity.
ESEA Network
The National Association of ESEA State Program Administrators is dedicated to building the capacity of education professionals to provide disadvantaged children with a high quality education. Their ESEA Network website provides a host of resources to educators at all levels.
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admin@eseanetwork.org | 800-256-6452
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About Us
The National Association of ESEA State Program Administrators (formerly the National Title I Association) is dedicated to building the capacity of education professionals to provide disadvantaged children with a high quality education. Their ESEA Network website provides a host of resources to educators at all levels.
Connect with Us
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